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Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/18/22

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The deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7:00pm Central. There will be a frenzy of non-tenders and trades today, but also some signings.

For many players, there’s little pressure to agree to terms this week. The deadline for exchanging figures isn’t until January 13, with the hearings taking place in March. However, players that are borderline non-tender candidates might get a low-ball offer at this time, with the team hoping that the looming possibility of a non-tender compels the player to accept. As such, deals at this part of the baseball calendar have a higher likelihood of coming in under projections.

One new wrinkle from the new collective bargaining agreement is that all of these deals will be guaranteed. Previously, teams could cut a player during Spring Training and only pay a portion of the agreed-upon figure. However, the new CBA stipulates that any player who settles on a salary without going to a hearing will be subject to full termination pay, even if released prior to the beginning of the season.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for each team’s arbitration-eligible players last month but, as mentioned, it’s not uncommon for the deals agreed to at this time to come in below projections. This post may be updated later as more agreements come in…

Latest

  • The Tigers announced agreement on a deal with outfielder Austin Meadows. Financial terms are undisclosed. Meadows was projected for a $4MM salary. He’s coming off an injury-plagued first season in Detroit but is arbitration eligible twice more. [UPDATE: Meadows signed for $4.3MM, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.]
  • The Braves avoided arbitration with Mike Soroka on a $2.8MM contract, the club announced. It’s the same salary he’s made in each of the past two seasons, which is typical for an arbitration-eligible player who didn’t see any MLB action but was nevertheless tendered a contract. Soroka hasn’t pitched since 2020 on account of a pair of Achilles ruptures and some late-season elbow soreness, but he’s expected to compete for a rotation spot in Spring Training. He’s arbitration eligible once more next winter.

Earlier Deals

  • The Pirates and infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar agreed at $1.525MM, per Murray. Andujar was claimed off waivers from the Yankees in September.
  • The Padres announced that they have agreed to a one-year contract with left-hander Jose Castillo. The terms have not been disclosed.
  • The Diamondbacks announced they’ve agreed to a deal with reliever Cole Sulser. Financial terms haven’t been disclosed, but Sulser has been projected at $1MM. Arizona recently claimed him off waivers from the Marlins.
  • The Cubs and right-hander Adrian Sampson agreed to a $1.9MM salary, while fellow right-hander Rowan Wick will take home a $1.55MM salary in 2023, according to Jordan Bastion of MLB.com. Sampson broke out in 2022, finishing with a 3.11 ERA across 104 1/3 innings. Wick tossed 64 innings of relief, finishing up with a 4.22 ERA.
  • The Yankees and right-hander Lou Trivino agreed to a salary of $4.1MM, per Feinsand. Trivino had been a solid reliever for Oakland over the past couple of years but struggled to a 6.47 ERA with them in 2022. He was dealt to the Yankees and then righted the ship with a 1.66 ERA the rest of the way.
  • The Rockies and Brent Suter avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $3MM salary, per Murray. Suter was claimed off waivers from the Brewers earlier today.
  • The Brewers and righty Matt Bush have agreed at $1.85MM, per Murray. Bush came over from the Rangers in a deadline deal. He posted a 2.95 ERA prior to the deal and a 4.30 after.
  • The Marlins and Dylan Floro are in agreement on a contract for 2023, reports Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. He’ll make $3.9MM, Mish reports. Floro tossed 53 2/3 innings in 2022 with a 3.02 ERA.
  • The Brewers and right-hander Adrian Houser agreed on a $3.6MM salary, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The ground ball specialist saw his ERA jump from 3.22 in 2021 to 4.73 this year as his ground ball rate dropped from 59% to 46.7%. He’s likely the club’s sixth starter going into the winter and could jump into the rotation if someone gets injured.
  • The Phillies and right-hander Sam Coonrod have agreed on a salary of $775K, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He posted a 4.04 ERA in 2021 but was limited to just 12 2/3 innings this year due to a shoulder strain.
  • The Tigers and left-hander Tyler Alexander agreed on a salary of $1.875MM, per Murray. Alexander got into 27 games in 2022, 17 of those being starts. His 4.81 ERA was certainly on the high side, but he had a 3.81 in 2021.
  • The Yankees and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $6M salary. You can read more about that here.
  • The Braves and left-hander Tyler Matzek avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year deal. You can read more about that here.
  • The Giants and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $6.1MM deal, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. He first qualified for arbitration a year ago as a Super Two player and earned $3.7MM in 2022. He took a step back at the plate this year with a line of .214/.305/.392 but still provided value with his glovework.

Padres Promote Jose Castillo

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The Padres announced this evening that reliever José Castillo has been called up from Triple-A El Paso. Starter Yu Darvish is going on paternity leave in a corresponding transaction. While the club hadn’t made an announcement at the time, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported last week that San Diego had added Castillo to the 40-man roster to keep him from opting out of his minor league contract.

Now that he’s back in the big leagues, the southpaw is nearing his first MLB appearance in three years. Castillo broke in with the Friars in 2018 and immediately impressed. Over 38 1/3 frames as a rookie, he worked to a 3.29 ERA with an elite 34.7% strikeout rate and an average 8% walk percentage. Castillo’s fastball sat in the 95 MPH range, and he held opposing left-handers to a pitiful .133/.220/.133 line in 50 plate appearances.

Castillo looked like a long-term bullpen piece, but his career has been thrown off track by a brutal series of injuries. He missed a good chunk of the 2019 campaign after suffering a flexor strain in his forearm. Castillo returned, made one appearance, then torn a ligament in his throwing hand. That ended his season, but it was far from the end of his injury troubles. The Venezuela native suffered a teres major strain in his shoulder in July 2020 and spent the entire shortened season on the IL. He tried to return last year, but he blew out in Spring Training and underwent Tommy John surgery in March.

In light of all the injuries, San Diego outrighted Castillo off the 40-man roster last offseason. They brought him back on a non-roster deal to give him another chance at getting back on track. Castillo finally returned to health in early May and reported to El Paso, and he’s picked up right where he’d left off in 2018 from a performance standpoint. Over 34 2/3 Triple-A frames, he owns a 2.08 ERA with a 32.6% strikeout rate, although his walk percentage has jumped to a somewhat alarming 10.1% clip. The free passes have shown up in a .359 on-base percentage allowed to lefty batters this season, but same-handed hitters are hitting only .227 and have collected a lone extra-base hit (a double) in 44 at-bats against him in Triple-A.

Castillo is still only 26 years old, and his upper minors dominance makes him an intriguing addition to the Friars bullpen for the stretch run. It’s certainly not out of the question he reestablishes himself as a key late-game option for manager Bob Melvin. Castillo collected big league service from 2019-21 while on the major league injured list, but he’s still set to finish this season with between three and four years of service time. He’ll be arbitration-eligible through at least 2025 as a result, making him a potential long-term option for San Diego if he again handles big league hitters. Regardless of how well he fares moving forward, Castillo can take no small amount of pride in working his way back to the highest level after such a horrific stretch of injury luck.

Padres Re-Sign Jose Castillo, Webster Rivas

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The Padres have re-signed reliever José Castillo and catcher Webster Rivas to minor league contracts, according to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. Both players were cut from San Diego’s 40-man roster at the end of the season.

Castillo tossed 38 1/3 innings across 37 relief appearances for the Friars in 2018. He averaged 94.9 MPH on his fastball that year and posted excellent numbers, looking to be a high-leverage reliever in the making. Castillo worked to a 3.29 ERA with a huge 34.7% strikeout rate and a fine 8% walk percentage in his age-22 campaign.

Unfortunately, Castillo has barely pitched since then on account of a brutal run of injuries. The southpaw missed the first four months of the 2019 season due to a flexor tendon strain. He returned to make one MLB appearance, then suffered a season-ending hand ligament tear. Castillo missed the entire 2020 season dealing with a teres major strain, and ran into perhaps his greatest setback of all last March. Early in Spring Training, the Venezuela native went down with a forearm issue that necessitated Tommy John surgery.

Despite only making one big league appearance over the past three years, Castillo accrued enough service time while on the injured list to qualify for arbitration this offseason. The Friars non-tendered him rather than carry him on the 40-man roster all winter, but they apparently quickly worked to bring him back on a minor league deal. Given that he’s only ten months removed from the Tommy John procedure, the 26-year-old is probably targeting a midseason return to the mound.

Rivas, a 12-year minor league veteran, was rewarded for his persistence with a long-awaited MLB debut last May. The right-handed hitter got into 24 games, tallying 77 plate appearances in a reserve capacity behind the dish. Rivas spent more time with the Padres’ top affiliate in El Paso, where he hit .252/.339/.393 with five home runs across 186 plate appearances.

San Diego outrighted Rivas off the 40-man roster at the end of the year. Presumably, he’ll get a chance to partake in big league Spring Training, although it seems likely he’ll open the season with El Paso. The Padres already have quite a bit of catching depth on the 40-man roster. Austin Nola looks like the #1 option if healthy, with Víctor Caratini, the recently-acquired Jorge Alfaro and top prospect Luis Campusano all competing for playing time.

National League Non-Tenders: 11/30/21

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We’ve now passed the deadline for teams to tender contracts to pre-arb and arbitration-eligible players. We’ll keep track of the more minor players non-tendered in the National League here. The American League non-tenders are available at this link.

As a reminder, you can view MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players here:

  • The Cardinals announced they’ve non-tendered utilityman José Rondon. The right-handed hitting infielder tallied 90 plate appearances this past season while suiting up at a handful of position.
  • The Giants announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Luis González, right-hander Sam Delaplane and southpaw Joe Palumbo. None of that trio was arbitration-eligible, and all three were recently acquired via minor transactions. It wouldn’t be a surprise if San Francisco attempts to work out minor league pacts with one or more of that group now that they’ve been removed from the 40-man roster.
  • The Phillies have non-tendered southpaw Kyle Dohy and re-signed him to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. He’ll remain in the organization but no longer occupies a spot on the 40-man roster. Dohy made on major league appearance in 2021.
  • The Padres announced they’ve non-tendered relievers José Castillo, Trey Wingenter, and Matt Strahm. Castillo and Wingenter haven’t pitched since 2019 because of arm injuries that necessitated Tommy John surgeries. Strahm was limited to just 6 2/3 frames in 2021 by health issues himself.
  • The Cubs are non-tendering reliever Jason Adam, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The southpaw missed much of the season after suffering a gruesome ankle fracture in Triple-A in May, but he made a triumphant late-season return to the big leagues. Adam ultimately tossed 10 2/3 innings over 12 outings. Chicago also announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Michael Hermosillo, who made a late-season appearance on the big league roster.
  • The Mets have non-tendered outfielder Mark Payton, per a club announcement. The left-handed hitter was acquired from the Reds midseason but never suited up for New York at the major league level.
  • The Reds have non-tendered righty Brandon Bailey, per a team announcement. The 27-year-old made five appearances with the Astros in 2020. He missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, the second such procedure of his career. Bailey is re-signing on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation but will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic.
  • The Nationals announced three non-tenders: relievers Wander Suero and Ryne Harper and first baseman Mike Ford. Suero is the most notable of the group, having been an effective set-up option at times during his four-season run in D.C. He struggled to a 6.33 ERA across 42 2/3 innings in 2021, though.
  • The Mets have non-tendered reliever Stephen Nogosek, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (on Twitter). The right-hander made just one three-inning appearance at the big league level in 2021. He worked 35 innings of 5.14 ERA ball with Triple-A Syracuse.
  • The Diamondbacks are non-tendering reliever Taylor Clarke, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The 28-year-old has pitched with the D-Backs in each of the past three seasons. The left-hander worked to a 4.98 ERA over 43 1/3 innings this past season, showing solid control but posting a 20.1% strikeout rate that was about four percentage points below the league average mark for bullpen arms.
  • The Dodgers have non-tendered southpaw Andrew Vasquez, tweets Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic. Vasquez wasn’t eligible for arbitration, but Los Angeles decided to bump him off the 40-man roster without placing him on waivers. Acquired in a minor trade with the Twins, Vasquez made two appearances for the Dodgers in early September. The 28-year-old struck out a massive 37.4% of batters faced in Triple-A in 2021.
  • The Pirates have non-tendered right-hander Chad Kuhl, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). A productive back-of-the-rotation arm at times, Kuhl has developed escalating control problems over the past couple seasons. The 29-year-old throws in the mid-90s and has posted decent strikeout numbers, but he’s coming off a 4.82 ERA/4.89 SIERA over 28 appearances (including 14 starts)
  • The Mets have non-tendered reliever Robert Gsellman, reports Tim Healey of Newsday (on Twitter). The right-hander has appeared with New York in each of the past six seasons, moving to the bullpen full-time in 2018. While Gsellman showed quite a bit of promise over seven starts as a rookie, he’s yet to find much consistent success in the years since. The 28-year-old did manage a solid 3.77 ERA with a 49.5% ground-ball rate over 28 2/3 innings in 2021, but he also missed a couple months because of a lat strain and only punched out 14.3% of batters faced.

Jose Castillo To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Padres left-handed reliever Jose Castillo will undergo Tommy John surgery, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. This isn’t surprising news, as Castillo exited a sim game Tuesday with forearm tightness.

The 2021 campaign will go down as another injury-ruined season for Castillo, who threw only two-thirds of an inning in 2019 while dealing with a teres major strain and didn’t pitch in 2020 because of a flexor strain and a torn ligament in his hand. Considering the time it takes to recover from TJ procedures, the 25-year-old Castillo won’t take a major league mound again until sometime in 2022, and that’s if he doesn’t suffer any setbacks. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time next winter.

While the Padres look like one of the majors’ best teams heading into this season, the loss of Castillo is at least a blow to their bullpen depth. A healthy Castillo could have made the team all the more formidable, as he recorded excellent numbers during his rookie year in 2018. He threw 38 1/3 innings then and put up a 3.29 ERA/2.53 SIERA with an eye-popping 34.7 percent strikeout rate.

Padres Notes: Castillo, Lamet

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Padres left-handed reliever Jose Castillo departed his sim game after six pitches Tuesday because of forearm tightness, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

This is the latest setback for Castillo, who missed all of last season because of a teres major strain and threw just two-thirds of an inning in 2019 while dealing with a flexor strain and a torn ligament in his hand. The severity of Castillo’s current issue isn’t yet known, but considering forearm problems often serve as a precursor to Tommy John surgery, he and the Padres are surely holding their breath leading up to Wednesday’s re-evaluation.

Still just 25 years old, Castillo debuted in 2018 with a very productive rookie season, during which he fired 38 1/3 innings of 3.29 ERA/2.53 SIERA ball, managed a tremendous 34.7 percent strikeout rate, and complemented that with a solid 8.0 percent walk rate. Castillo also averaged about 95 mph on his fastball then and held his own against both left- and right-handed hitters. With the Padres expected to contend in 2021, Castillo could re-emerge as an important part of their bullpen if he’s healthy, but it’s once again up in the air whether he’ll be able to contribute.

The news is better in regards to right-hander Dinelson Lamet, who was among the majors’ best starters in 2020 before elbow trouble ended his season in late September. Lamet threw 15 pitches and reached 96 mph on his fastball Tuesday, according to Cassavell, but he may not necessarily be ready for Opening Day. Understandably, the Padres are erring on the side of caution with Lamet, but he has “been right on track” in his recovery so far, general manager A.J. Preller said.

Padres Promote Luis Campusano

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The Padres announced that they have promoted young catcher Luis Campusano to the majors. He’ll serve as their designated hitter against the Athletics on Friday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. In other moves, San Diego transferred left-hander Jose Castillo to the 45-day injured list and placed righty Luis Perdomo on the 10-day IL with forearm discomfort.

The 21-year-old Campusano is one of many standout youngsters in the San Diego organization. Thanks in part to a consistently elite farm system, the Padres have finally begun to realize their vast potential this season. The club has stormed to a 23-16 record, good for the No. 1 wild-card spot in the National League, as it seeks to break a 13-year playoff drought.

While the Padres have been a pleasant surprise as a whole, they’ve received little production from their catchers, who rank toward the bottom of the majors in offense. As a result, general manager A.J. Preller has made a few notable changes to the position in recent days. Leading up to Monday’s trade deadline, the Padres shipped out the light-hitting Austin Hedges and acquired both Jason Castro and Austin Nola. So, it’s unclear how much time Campusano will receive behind the plate in 2020 (or at DH, for that matter, as the Padres also landed Mitch Moreland during an aggressive deadline), though the right-handed swinger at least looks capable of serving as a long-term weapon for the team.

A second-round pick of the Padres in 2017, Campusano reached High-A for the first time a season ago and slashed .325/.396/.509 with 15 home runs and nearly as many walks (52) as strikeouts (57). Since then, the likes of ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (No. 33), FanGraphs (40), Keith Law of The Athletic (42), MLB.com (52) and Baseball America (85) have all ranked Campusano among the game’s 100 best prospects. McDaniel, the most bullish of the bunch, wrote that Campusano “has a plus arm” behind the plate and “plus contact skills” as a hitter, though he could trade some contact for more power as he progresses.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Padres’ Jose Castillo Likely Out Six Weeks

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Padres left-hander Jose Castillo will miss roughly six weeks after being diagnosed with a teres major strain, manager Jayce Tingler told reporters Thursday (Twitter link via Dennis Lin of The Athletic). The 24-year-old southpaw exited Wednesday’s intrasquad game with what the team initially termed a possible lat injury.

It’ll be the second straight season with a notable injury for Castillo, who was limited to 8 2/3 innings between Triple-A and the Majors last year. He opened the 2019 season on the IL due to a flexor strain and suffered a torn ligament in his hand in his first and only big league appearance last year.

The six-week absence could sideline Castillo for nearly half the truncated 2020 season, and Tingler acknowledged that it might take him out of the 2020 equation entirely. “We’re going to need some breaks for him to return to play this year,” the manager said. “We’re going to stay optimistic.”

Castillo, acquired from the Rays in the three-team blockbuster that sent Wil Myers to San Diego and Trea Turner to D.C., was excellent in his 2018 debut campaign. After pitching to a combined 2.05 ERA in 26 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, he got the call to the big leagues and worked to a 3.29 ERA with a 52-to-12 K/BB ratio in 38 1/3 frames for the Padres. Armed with a fastball that averages 95 mph and a slider that has befuddled left- and right-handed hitters alike, Castillo generated a hearty 14 percent swinging-strike rate that season and looked to be on his way to establishing himself as a quality long-term piece in the Friars’ relief corps.

That may still prove to be the case, but it’s hard not to have some degree of concern with the arm injuries that have already begun to pile up for the promising young lefty. Drew Pomeranz, Matt Strahm, Adrian Morejon and likely fifth starter Joey Lucchesi are the only other southpaws on the Padres’ 40-man roster, although the team’s 60-man player pool includes non-roster a trio of lefties: Joey Cantillo, 2018 first-round pick Ryan Weathers and uber-prospect MacKenzie Gore, who could eventually push for a spot in the rotation in 2020.

Padres’ Jose Castillo Dealing With Possible Lat Strain

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Padres southpaw reliever Jose Castillo left the team’s intrasquad game Tuesday with a possible lat strain, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Manager Jayce Tingler said he expects to have more information on Castillo’s status in the next couple days.

While it’s unknown how severe the injury is, lat strains often lead to weeks-long absences. With that in mind, it’s in question how much the 24-year-old Castillo will be able to contribute to the Padres over a 60-game season. For now, it appears he’ll be in for a second straight injury-limited campaign, having made just one appearance in the majors last year because of forearm and finger issues.

When healthy, the hard-throwing Castillo has shown he’s capable of serving as a key member of the Padres’ bullpen. As a rookie in 2018, he recorded highly promising production across 38 1/3 innings with a 3.29 ERA/2.64 FIP and 12.21 K/9 against 2.82 BB/9. Castillo shut down lefties and righties alike that year, holding opposing hitters to a woeful .170/.253/.267 mark.

Padres Select Ronald Bolanos

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The Padres announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Ronald Bolanos from Double-A Amarillo. Southpaw Jose Castillo was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Bolanos, who turned 23 just 10 days ago, was a fairly high-profile signing by the Padres, securing a bonus worth a bit more than $2MM when he left his native Cuba. Listed at 6’3″ and 220 pounds, Bolanos is generally regarded as one of the more promising arms in a loaded San Diego farm system. MLB.com tabs him 15th among Friars farmhands, and he’s listed at No. 17 on Baseball America’s midseason update and No. 39 over at Fangraphs.

Bolanos opened the season in Class-A Advanced and posted a 2.85 ERA through 10 starts before jumping to Double-A. His 4.23 ERA there isn’t as impressive, but Bolanos has upped his strikeout rate, improved his walk rate and maintained his strong 47.7 percent grounder rate since moving up to face more advanced competition. He’s still relatively young for the Double-A level and will face considerably more experienced pitching in making his big league debut.

The Padres have kept Bolanos in a starter’s role throughout the bulk of his minor league career, though scouting reports note that there’s a definite chance he ends up in the ’pen. He draws praise for a clean delivery and a fastball that sits 93 mph while occasionally touching 96-97mph. His slider, curveball and changeup are less polished offerings, and the development of those offerings will likely determine whether his future is in the San Diego rotation or bullpen. For now, he’ll get his first experience at the MLB level in hopes of convincing the club that he can be a part of the staff early in the 2020 campaign.

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